Nook: A small space that is hidden or partly sheltered

A nook, a little corner, a quiet spot, what exactly is a nook? According to Cambridge Dictionary, a nook is defined as ‘A small space that is hidden or partly sheltered.’

A nook is seen as a spot within your larger space that offers some form of seclusion, often used in the context of a home. For some people, it is creating a breakfast nook where the morning sun shines, and for others, it is about a dedicated space for reading, doodling, writing, drinking and enjoying other hobbies. The most commonly asked nook is likely the reading nook; whether your reading interest is fiction or non-fiction, there’s bound to be a book for everyone. The overall idea is to deliberately create an area to have that perfect moment in your home, below are a few nook ideas to consider for today’s living.

Reading Nook

Creating a reading nook may bring to mind full height bookshelves, sitting within a surrounding reminiscent of a grand library. However, imagining that only is highly restrictive, plus with widespread reading on our devices from e-books to digital subscriptions of magazines, a reading nook may be as simple as a chair that you love sitting on, coupled with a practical side table for a cup of coffee. Find a way to create a reading nook that best suits your needs and reading preferences.

Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer. Image by Knoll

The chair of my choice is the Wassily chair designed by Marcel Breuer. It has the memories of sitting in the AA School of Architecture’s library reading and researching. There were reading tables but my first choice was always to sit on one of the pair of Wassily Chairs because the way the leather slings on the tubular steel made the seat, the backrests and the armrests so comfortable. In an interview with a Knoll historian, Marcel Breuer described how he came to begin experimenting with bent tubular steel while at the Bauhaus:

“I made friends with a young architect, and I bought my first bicycle. I learned to ride the bicycle and talked to this young fellow and told him that the bicycle seems to be a perfect production because it hasn’t changed in the last twenty, thirty years. It is still the original bicycle form. He said, “Did you ever see how they make those parts? How they bend those handlebars? You would be interested because they bend those steel tubes like macaroni.” This somehow remained in my mind, and I started to think about steel tubes which are bent into frames…”

Creative Nook

A creative nook may be less commonly heard, but as we live and many also work from home, it’s easy to let go of having a space to just be when any chance of having a study desk has probably turned into an office desk. According to this article on meditation, 10 minutes of practice is all you need to make you more creative. The first step is creating a creative nook is in creating the right environment, having an actual space that allows you to escape, whether that’s simply having a sketch pad and a pencil, a bean bag to sit on to meditate or simply to let your mind wander.

Andra bean bag by Made.com. Image by Made.com

Entertainment Nook

For some of us, we have been entertaining more at home. Depending on your entertainment style, an entertainment nook may be a games area, an area with a comfortable couch and a good sound system, etc. One common thread is serving some wine, whisky, coffee or tea to go with it. Instead of a home bar to entertain that is permanently on display, an alternative like the bulthaup b2 kitchen is an attractive cabinet that allows all your essential entertaining needs from wine glasses storage to a coffee machine built within easy reach. The best part of it? Its ability to close the cabinet doors to hide all the items when all you want is a quiet and peaceful evening with only a few people. Bulthaup’s tagline for it is ‘all the tools needed at hand’ and it seems to live up to it.

B2 by bulthaup. Image by bulthaup

Exercise Nook

As it’s important to keep active to maintain good health, creating an exercise nook at home to work out our bodies will be beneficial. Having frequently used gym equipment and the right set-up, for example, access to a computer to follow workout videos will hopefully encourage us to exercise more often. It could be an open area that’s sufficient to roll out a yoga mat and move around, or it could even be a combination of selected equipment from a cross-trainer to a versaclimber that fits your workout regime. The benefit of having gym equipment under one roof is the opportunity to break out a sweat at any convenient time, so there are no excuses. 

Technogym’s Cross Personal. Image by Technogym

The above nook ideas, which are only some of the many ideas that you can create within your homes. Some nook areas could take as little space as a bean bag in your bedroom whereas some may be a whole newly constructed conservatory to create a breakfast nook. Regardless of how much space, time and cost it takes to create a nook for yourself, the importance is in having a space to unwind within our homes and busy lives, improving our quality of life.

If you have any questions or would like to share your nook creations, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at von@vonxarchitects.com